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Notification of Upcoming Changes

Notification of Upcoming Changes to the certification scheme, eligibility criteria, policies, etc. will be posted for your information.

Updated October 17, 2017

Applicants who submit their CRSP application prior to or on June 30, 2018 for consideration under the current certification scheme, must have an application reviewed and approved through to the examination stage by December 31, 2018 otherwise the new CRSP eligibility criteria will be applied in assessing an application.

Effective January 1, 2018 eligible candidates will have one (1) year to complete their first examination writing. If a re-write is required, candidates will have a one-year window from the time of first writing to rewrite the examination. A maximum of three (3) examination writings will be permitted. (This rule will apply to applicants/candidates approved for the examination after January 1 2018 - if you are already approved for the examination, the existing rule will apply). The examination extension option will no longer available for purchase (for candidates eligible after January 1 2018).

Effective January 1, 2018, one of the two required reference questionnaires (either professional practice or professional reference) must be completed by a CRSP (or equivalent such as CSP or CMIOSH) in good standing.

Please contact the BCRSP office if you have questions at info@bcrsp.ca.

Updated Added Nov 3, 2016

The CRSP Eligibility Criteria is Changing

Effective July 1, 2018 the eligibility criteria to apply for the CRSP certification will be changing.

At the October 2016 BCRSP Governing Board meeting, the Board approved a change to the eligibility criteria for the CRSP certification. The change to the CRSP certification eligibility requirements impacts the level of education and amount of experience an applicant must have prior to pursuing the certification.

This change comes at an important time for the Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) profession. The demand for OHS professionals to support safe and healthy workplaces is growing, and as a result, the need for well-qualified OHS professionals to achieve these goals is paramount. The expectations of employers in today's world is changing, and with this comes an expectation of higher levels of education. The BCRSP believes that the increase in education and experience requirements for the CRSP certification are important and will better position the CRSP of the future. The BCRSP believes that increasing eligibility requirements will lead to greater opportunities for OHS professionals in Canada and increased professional recognition and influence.

Professions by definition, have well-defined entry pathways which include robust formal education programs that support career entry. Through the National Education Symposium (NES) in 2013 and 2015, we have been in consultation with representatives from various OHS programs at Canadian Colleges and Universities and they have responded positively to the prospect of change in the BCRSP requirements - and have indicated that they will respond to these change requirements through program development initiatives. We will be communicating with them in the coming months on the BCRSPs program expectations to ensure that programs align with the new requirements.

The Global market is driving change, and the Canadian OHS professional must stay in step with advancing practice elsewhere. OHS Professionals from countries such as the US, UK, Europe, and Australia already have a higher standard of education and experience in place for their OHS professional certification schemes, and Canada is lagging behind. Raising the bar on the CRSP certification standard will further enable opportunities for mobility and transportability of credentials through Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) with like-minded organizations.

The Board also recognizes that a single designation and single certification process for the OHS profession in Canada does not best serve the profession. In order to support individuals who may not meet the new eligibility criteria for the CRSP certification, the BCRSP is working on a new certification scheme which would create two distinct certification paths. More details on this will be available in the coming months.

Changes Effective July 1, 2018

Applications for the CRSP certification received on or after July 1 2018 will be required to have the following:
• A minimum of a Bachelor's degree (4-year) in any field OR a 2-year diploma (or certificate) (minimum of 900 hours or 60 credits) in occupational health and safety or a closely related field from a recognized academic institution.
• At least four (4) years of experience where occupational health and safety is at least 50%, preventative, professional level with breadth and depth of health and safety duties.

There will be additional information published on the changes and the transition process in the coming months. Questions regarding the changes, should be submitted to criteriachanges@bcrsp.ca.

Updated Law and Ethics Study Guide published

A revised edition of the Law and Ethics Study Guide has been published. Revisions include updating the WHMIS/GHS references, updating the Code of Ethics to the Rules of Professional Conduct that came in to effect January 1, 2016.

Updated versions of the Professional Practice Experience (PPE) and the Practice Questionnaire (PQ) have been approved by the Qualifications Review Committee (QRC). These forms are part of the application for the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)® certification. The new forms are available on the website at the following links: